Vaccination of chickens and other fowl that are sold for human consumption is customarily done for protection against various diseases. Although so-called "automatic syringes" are available, in many instances inoculation is done manually. In any event, the techniques presently employed suffer from a number of disadvantages, including the likelihood of operator injury, inadequate asepsis, a tendency for misadministration (due especially to inadequate immobilization of the bird), inordinate manpower requirements, and difficult and unreliable delivery of the substance for injection.
The prior art does not appear to have adequately addressed these problems. Markins U.S. Pat. No. 2,319,938 describes a device for restraining poultry while blood tests are being made or where vaccinations are to be given, but provides no associated means for effecting delivery and administration of vaccine. Peterson U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,464 describes a poultry vaccination system, wherein vaccine is sprayed upon chicks confined within a chamber.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide apparatus for administrating a substance to poultry and the like, which apparatus is safe and facile to use, affords improved asepsis, and is rapid, efficient, reliable, and economical in operation.
It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects of the invention are readily attained by the provision of inoculating apparatus comprising structure providing an injection location; a substance-delivery system, including a delivery device and supply means operatively connected to the delivery device; and means for mounting the delivery device for movement between a delivery position, adjacent the injection location, and a position displaced therefrom. The apparatus also includes drive means that is capable of actuation for effecting movement of the delivery device from its displaced position to its delivery position, and means for selectively actuating the drive means for effecting such movement of the delivery device. Means is also provided for supporting a bird adjacent the injection location, and for engaging a wing of the supported bird for positioning the wing at the injection location.
The support means will desirably comprise a trough into which the bird may be placed, with the wing-positioning means defining a recess into which the bird's wing may be extended. The mounting means will usually mount the delivery device for reciprocal movement, the drive means will normally comprise an electric solenoid, the actuating means will advantageously comprise a switch disposed near the injection location, and the delivery device will normally include a hypodermic needle. In such latter case, the substance-supply means will most desirably comprise a liquid reservoir and the delivery system will include a pump that is operatively connected for effecting delivery of a liquid substance from the reservoir to the needle.